You know the drill: boy realises he is about to lose girl, so a mad dash through airport security ensues to ensure a happily-ever-after ending.

It could well be that the Italian couple who sprinted onto the airport’s apron to stop a flight leaving without them might have been inspired by countless movies, which give the impression that racing through airport security is legal and doable.

In the romantic comedy Liar Liar, Jim Carrey was desperate to catch up with his son and former wife who were on board a plane on their way out of his life. Carrey manages to stop the plane. His efforts are considered cute, the take-off is cancelled and Carrey gets to convince his son he is a better dad than Cary Elwes. Everyone lives happily ever after.

In Only You, Marisa Tomei races to the airport to catch up with her true love, who happens to be called Mr Wright.

Liar Liar: Jim Carrey stops a plane on the runway. Photo courtesy of imdb.org

In the name of true love, the plane is stopped for her and everyone breaks into applause.

The examples continue. In Love Actually Liam Neeson encourages his stepson to sneak through airport security at Heathrow without a boarding pass to say goodbye to his school crush. The young scamp runs through the airport, pursued by airport guards, and confesses his love. Afterwards, the guards escort him back to his dad with a kids-will-be-kids smile and let both of them go.

However, when in real life, a young man at Newark Liberty International Airport briefly crossed a security barrier to give his girlfriend a final goodbye kiss there was no clapping: the terminal went into lockdown, about 200 flights were delayed or cancelled worldwide and he was arrested.

So next time you plan to consider a dramatic eleventh hour sprint through the airport, keep in mind it may not be a happy-ever-after affair.